Morris Fair To Host Three Racing Under Saddle Events

The excitement and participation of racing under saddle has really surged leading into the fourth fair of the RUS New York Fair Series. 

Three races will be held at Otsego County Fair in Morris Tuesday, Aug. 2 — which will probably be the most under saddle races held in one place in a single day all year. The races will be included in the harness race program, which will begin at noon.

The first RUS event, race No. 3 on the card for the day, has a field of very competitive horses.  

• Michelle Crawford and Sing Out will start in position No. 1. The duo has two starts this season but has yet to compete on a fair track. Sing Out, trained by Kyle Spagnolia, had a win at Goshen Historic Track in 2:04.0 and broke in his last RUS appearance at Vernon Downs. 
• Andrea Pratt and My Friend Charlie will start in the second position. So far, the duo has earned eight points with one start in the fair series with a fourth-place finish in Afton. They also placed fifth at Ocean Downs and second at Vernon Downs this season. 
• Jeanie Marie and Heather Reese will start in post position No. 3. This team took the first race of the fair series by storm by capturing a victory in 2:07.0.  Reese has raced in two fair races this season and won them both. 
• Funny Photo and Sophie Engerran, who will be staring in the fourth position, are coming off an impressive 1:59.1 victory at Vernon Downs. The duo has two starts this season and have not been beaten. 

The second RUS event, carded race No. 9, will feature two horses that have been competing in the series quite regularly and a couple that have not. 

• Starting in post position No 1 will be Jocelyn Gale and Glorious Winner. This duo did not finish in their last fair appearance in Hemlock but were very competitive in last year’s fair series. Glorious ended the series with 150 points with two victories (one in Morris in 2:18.2.) and two seconds.
• Jolie’s Prayer and Michelle Crawford will make their first start Tuesday. This horse/ridder combination are coming off a 2:07.0 qualifier in Saratoga. Crawford did not compete in Morris last year but put up victories the two previous years with her mare Vassar Hall. 
• Michelle Miller and Good Advice will be starting in post position No. 3. This duo are currently sitting in fourth place in the series’ standings with 38 points. The pair have raced in every fair race of the series finishing second, fifth and fourth respectively.
• On their tail is Maple Grove Emily and Hillary Hartnett, who will start on the outside in post position No. 4. This ridder/horse combination are coming into the race with 37 points. This is Hartnett’s first year competing and she already has a second and third place finish under her belt. She and Maple Grove Emily also competed in Vernon Downs where they finished fourth in a time of 2:03.0. 

The final RUS event has been carded as the second to last race of the day - race No. 14. 

• Vanessa Karlewicz and Admirable Hanover have the inside position. This pair are coming into the race with 33 points having earned a second and fifth place finish so far in the series. Before the fair series kicked off, Karlewicz rode Admirable Hanover to a 2:15.0 victory in a matinee held at Goshen Historic Track. 
• Kash Now will be reappearing on the fair series scene in post position No. 2 after not being raced in a couple of years. Michelle Miller, who will be making her training debut with the now 12-year-old mare, rode Kash Now in the first fair series on a regular basis where she racked up quite a few thirds during the duos first year of racing together. This rider/horse combination have quite a bond and Miller hopes the horse still has what it takes to compete as she is the only horse racing in the series that is also still not competing in harness at all anymore. Kash now took second to Vassar Hall in Morris two years ago. 
• Jocelyn Gale and She’s So Into Me will be making their first appearance at the fairs during this mid-season racing event. Gale just recently purchased the 4-year-old mare and the pair have only qualified twice - making a break in their last qualifier and putting up a time of 2:10.2 in their first. 
• Canbec Kangourou and Ashley Eldred also got off to a late start this season, only having only one start so far. The duo comes into the race with 12 points after placing third in Hemlock. The 6-year-old mare made a break in her first qualifier in Vernon Downs but came back to put up a time of 2:10.0 in her second qualifier at Saratoga.
  

This marks the third year of the RUS NY Fair Series. This year, the series includes nine fairs across the state. Horses earn points during the series to determine final entries for the final championship race, which will be raced on September 7 at Batavia Downs. 

Horses need at least two starts to be eligible for the final. Three horses, (Jeanie Marie, Iron Will and Funny Photo) are all tied in the series’ standings with 50 points each.

A High Point Rider Award will once again be presented at the final to the rider who has earned the most points, regardless of horse(s) ridden throughout the series.  To be eligible for the award riders must participate in at least three races. Currently Heather Reese sits atop the leader board for this award with 100 points. 

What is Racing Under Saddle: 

Also known as Monte Racing, RUS, is a hybrid between harness racing and thoroughbred racing. The sport consists of a rider atop a Standardbred (generally a trotter) in a saddle instead of pulling a sulky.  RUS is an exciting part of international standardbred racing and is conducted daily at most european tracks as part of their regular pari-mutuel wagering programs. The sport  has seen a surge in popularity  in the U.S. the past few years.

The Fair Series is organized by RUS NY, an organization that helps coordinate and promote under saddle races across the state. The main goal is to promote the unique sport,  educate about the versatility of the Standardbred breed as both a racing and a riding horse and to help Standardbreds find great homes after they finish their days on the track. For more information, visit rus-newyork.com. 

The schedule for the rest of the fair series:

• Tuesday, Aug. 9 - Oswego County in Sandy Creek (11 a.m. post)
• Wednesday, Aug .10 - Franklin County in Malone (1 p.m. post) 
• Monday, Aug. 15 - Wayne County in Palmyra (noon post) 
• Tuesday, Aug. 16 - Steuben County in Bath(noon post) 
• Tuesday, Aug. 23 - Tompkins County in Trumansburg (noon post) 

To keep up on RUS NY happenings follow the group on  Facebook, Twitter and Blogspot:

• Facebook.com/RUSNYSeries
• twitter.com/RUS_NewYork
• https://rus-newyork.blogspot.com

Conditions Posted For Tioga

Tioga Downs will be hosting a RUS New York event on Sunday, Aug. 7. Conditions are as follows:

Date: August 7^{th -}

Enter By: August 4^th  - 9 am RACE OFFICE DIRECT LINE – 607 699-7688

Conditions: RUS Trot: N/w 1500 Last 4 Starts: A/e N/w 2 races in 2016 RUS PURSES/RACES

Purse: $5000 split equally between all participants

Starters: Will not be raced with under 7 entries, up to 9 starters eligible. If over 9 entries horses will be drawn by date (dates will include RUS Fairs and Pari-mutual Tracks).

Track: Tioga Downs - 2384 W. River Road Nichols, New York 13812

Per RUS NY rules and regulations:

1. Riders must have 2 charted lines to be able to participate 
2. Horses must have a clean charted line in 2:08 or better on 7/8 (+1 sec 5/8, +2 sec ½) to be deemed eligible
3. Riders must have participated in 2 fundraisers or $100 in sponsors to be eligible to compete
4. Riders will be expected to have all proper forms filled out and be prepared to blow a breathalyzer
5. Riders must have proper colors, helmet, boots, and safety vest.
6. Horses must be between the ages of 3 and 14

If any questions, please refer to www.rus-newyork.com or contact Jocelyn Gale (315)250-7402

RUS NY Calls Meeting, Important To Be Involved.

RUS New York will be hosting a meeting at noon Wednesday July 27. The meeting will be held at Jocelyn Gale's house at  6157 Cooper Street in Vernon N.Y.  

For those who cannot be present please join us via Google Hangout, FaceTime or even phone. This meeting will discuss upcoming races, fundraising, conditions and participation. All attendance is highly recommended.

Contact Michelle Miller about connecting via internet or phone at mnmiller84@gmail.com.

For those who can't make it Wednesday via in person, video chat or phone, please send anything you would like discussed to our group email at rusnewyorkseries@gmail.com or speak with a member of the Management Committee that will be able to participate.

Be Sure To Enter For Vernon Down's Miracle Mile RUS Trot

RUS New York will be hosting a RUS event at Vernon Down’s Sunday night. Entries are due by 9 a.m. tomorrow (Wednesday, July 20). Please enter online or call the race office at (315) 829-6825. 

The race will be called the Miracle Mile RUS Trot and the field will be determined by the race secretary based on those he feels will make the most competitive race. 

Conditions:  Horses must have a clean line in 2:08 on 7/8, +1 for 5/8,+2 for 1/2

Also must abide by all RUS NY Rules and Regulations. See http://www.rus-newyork.com/rules-regulations.html for more details. 

Purse: $2,500  to be distributed evenly.  

Boonville Fair Race Canceled

Plenty Of Race Action Still To Come

Horses start without a starting gate at the Tioga County Fair in Owego. 

RUS New York is sorry to announce the cancelation of one of it’s legs of the 2016 Fair Series. 

The race in Oneida County in Boonville slated for July 26 has had to be canceled because Race Secretary,  Fred Kline, says there will be too many horses on the grounds and the fair cannot accommodate any extra. He suggested going somewhere else to race. 

Our committee is saddened by the news and hopes to be able to work something out for next year as members of the fair board have expressed interest in having RUS at the fair. In the meantime, members of the RUS New York Committee took Mr. Kline’s advice and have been able to add Franklin County Fair in Malone to the race schedule. The race will be held on Wednesday, August 10, with a post time of 1 p.m. 

“It will be later in the season, but it will hopefully provide another race for riders and horses to gain needed points to get into the final,” RUS New York President Michelle Miller said. “The Malone race secretary was willing to have us last year but things just didn’t work as we just could not get enough horses to travel that far. We are trying to get a group to all ship together this year.”

“Most fairs want to have us as we provide something new and exciting at no cost. Many even provide gifts and prizes. It is just hard to schedule races so that riders have fresh horses. We generally aim for one  race a week if possible, but the fair schedule is what it is, and many race up agains one another on the same day or on consecutive days. As we get more horses and riders we may be able to expand,” continued Miller. 

The 2016 Fair Series started off with a bang with a very competitive race at Tioga County Fair in Owego. The field of four stayed together the entire race making for an exciting finish. Race Announcer Doug Cater told the fans to “just start yelling for your favorite” as it was going to be a close finish. 

Heather Reese won the H.S. Mead Memorial race aboard Jeanie Marie in a time of 2:07. This marked the mare’s first racing under saddle race. She is trained by Jennifer Sansone and prior to her victory at Oswego, she won her qualifier at Vernon Downs in 2:02.  

Reese and Sansone, also known as “Team Pink,” are off to a exceptional start this season as they captured another victory in the second leg of the fair series at Afton Fair. This time, Reese rode Iron Will to victory in a time of 2:11. The 10-year-old gelded son by Credit Winner is no stranger to the fairs as Reese drove him to two victories in last year’s series. Iron Will qualified at Vernon Downs a week earlier in 2:02.1

Sansone said Team Pink was formed last year when Reese did not have a horse to ride in the Vernon Down’s RUS Series. 

“We have been friends since high school,” Sansone said. “We got talking and that's when we decided for her to break Will.” 

According to the 24-year-old trainer, Iron Will is a big horse who is hard to find a bike for  that he will not hit when racing in harness. Sansone said she believes the horse is able to perform much better under saddle because he is able to stride out more. 

So why doesn't Sansone, a woman who has been training horses since she was in high school, ride herself? 

This is a question she says she gets a lot. Her response: “The RUS riders don't get enough credit in my opinion. You have to be in great shape and controlling a horse from the top of them is a lot different than sitting in a race bike. Some day I'd like to be able to compete, but for now it's fun just training them and letting Heather ride. She's one of my best friends, basically a big sister to me so enjoying RUS as a team makes it a lot more exciting.”

Sansone said she and her dad work together at our farm in Vernon a few miles from the track and admits he was a bit skeptical about RUS when it first started.  But now, she says, he is in love with it just as much as Reese and herself. 

“Almost all of my horses in the barn are broke to ride and train under saddle. I think it helps a lot with their attitude, and they enjoy their job a lot more,” Sansone said. 

“I think it gives another opportunity for some horses that might not be as fast or competitive  in harness to be good at something else and get their confidence up,”  Sansone added. “Most seem to enjoy racing under saddle more I think.”

Both Jeanie Marie and Iron Will are lower conditioned harness horses, according to Sansone. The goal, she says, is to get both of them to the fair final that will be held at Batavia Downs on September 7. 

Horses need at least two starts to be eligible for the RUS NY Fair Series Final. Points are earned along the way to determine final entries. A High Point Rider Award will once again be presented at the final to the rider who has earned the most points, regardless of horse(s) ridden throughout the series. Complete rules and regulations are posted on the RUS NY webpage, http://rus-newyork.com.

The next race will be held at “Little World’s Fair” in Hemlock on Tuesday, July 19. Post time is at noon. Visit http://www.rus-newyork.com/fair-dates.html for a complete list of race dates and entry information. 

To keep up on RUS NY happenings follow the group on Facebook or Twitter.

• Facebook.com/RUSNYSeries

• twitter.com/RUS_NewYork